Running back position wide open for K-State

Wildcats must fill void left by Hubert's departure

Kansas State's running back Jarvis Leverett., left, tries to juke past defensive back Dylan Schellenberg during the first half K-State's 2014 spring game. Leverett finished with 69 yards on 14 carries and could be in line to start the season as the Wildcats' primary back.

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MANHATTAN — Kansas State returns a very experienced offensive unit in 2014. One position that lacks experience, however, is running back.

Over the last three seasons, John Hubert carried the majority of the load, becoming the No. 2 rusher in K-State history. After 599 carries, 2,993 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns, Hubert graduated and left a hole for coach Bill Snyder to fill in the backfield.

As the Wildcats eye the start of a new season, three names have emerged as likely candidates to replace Hubert. The most well-known of the group is senior DeMarcus Robinson.

Coming out of high school, Robinson was rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and listed as the 18th-best running back in the country. Despite the high rating, the Wichita Northwest product has only carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards during his three-year Wildcat career.

“DeMarcus is the most experienced back we have and he has been very patient with us up to this time,” Snyder said. “He understands the offense. He can execute the offense. He has skill level that is appropriate.

“A couple other guys are going to make it competitive so DeMarcus is going to have to continue to perform as well as he can, and I am pretty confident that he will.”

Two other tailbacks who have been in the program are sophomores Charles Jones and Jarvis Leverett.

“(The starting job) is wide open but we are all out here competing,” Robinson said. “Me, Charles, Jarvis and the young guys are all out here competing. We all have something that we can bring to the table that’s a little bit different.”

In 2012, Leverett earned the Red Raider Award given to the top player on the scout team. Neither Leverett nor Jones have taken a snap in a regular season game during their short time at K-State, but during the 2014 spring game the two sophomores showed flashes of potential. Leverett finished with 69 yards on 14 carries while Jones carried the ball 20 times for 73 yards.

“We can all easily fill John Hubert’s shoes,” Leverett said. “That’s my biggest thing, just letting the fans know that, yeah, we had a three-year starter but we’ve been learning from him for two years and (Robinson) has been learning from him for three years. So it’s just a matter of going out and applying what we know.”

It’s not often that a true freshman sees the field for the Wildcats, but one player who could break that trend is Dalvin Warmack. During his high school career at Blue Springs, Mo., Warmack was named the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year both his junior and senior seasons. He is the only two-time winner of the Simone Award given to the top prep football player in the Kansas City metro area.

Snyder said he would almost always prefer to redshirt a freshman because what they could offer during their fifth year in the program exceeds what they can do the first year. However, he added, the opportunity exists for every player in the program to see the field.

“I think (Warmack) is doing well right now,” Snyder said. “He will have the opportunity to compete and make his way. We will address whether that becomes redshirt or not in about two to three weeks.”

Warmack was the first member of the Wildcats’ 2014 recruiting class to commit. The true freshman understands the competition at the running back spot and is excited to finally get his college football career started.

“I was waiting ever since I committed to hurry up and get up here,” Warmack said. “Now that I’m finally here, I’m glad. (Training camp) is good. I’ve just been trying to get the plays down and give defenses a good look on scout team and stuff like that.”

Another player in the mix is fullback Glenn Gronkowski, who made some big plays in the passing game last year and could be utilized some in a one-back set.

“Glenn is so athletic and versatile,” co-offensive coordinator Dana Dimel said. “He can create all kinds of issues for people. He can definitely be a weapon for us.”